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Dana Ives watching the action at the
July Hunter Derby! |
Welcome to the second of our
Successful Horse Women series.
Dana Ives is relatively new to our area, but she is already finding a niche in the hunter jumper show world. When asked why she decided to sponsor her own shows, she replied after realizing her own organizational skills, her knowledge of showing, and her belief that horse shows should be fun she decided to give it a try! These qualities make her successful because she has shown courage in taking on the unknown and trying to find a market for her "product."
Horse Lover covered one of of Dana's shows recently and we found the show to be fun, well organized, and also very respectful of the horses and riders. These qualities also make Dana successful even though she has not been "established " for a long time. So like our last successful horse woman article on Clearview's Marie Lloyd, our format is Q&A which provides our horse women an opportunity to speak for themselves and let their voices be heard. Read on to find out about Dana's philosophy and experiences as a horse woman!
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Sara Reid and Target showing in the
July Hunter Derby at Clearview |
How old were you when you got your first horse or pony?
I was five years old when my parents purchased “Charlie”. He was about 15 hands tall and quite elderly, a retired school horse. He was a perfect first horse. I remember climbing onto the hood of the car in order to get on him.
What were some of your early successes?
They didn’t have leadline or walk classes in those days, and suitability of horse to rider was only a distant consideration. I won my first ever walk trot class, a wee tiny rider on this 15 hand chestnut angel of a horse. I feel certain that I was not the best rider, and I doubt that my diagonals were 100% either, but I guess the judge took pity on me! From that point forward I was hooked. I would sneak away from the house and walk to Thomas Stables down the road just to ride, not telling anyone where I was going, I would get in trouble for that quite often. I cannot imagine a life without horses. I did that for a while and then came back to it.
What were some of your early challenges?
We were not an affluent family and horses were a true luxury. This meant that the with the exception of Charlie, most of the horses I rode were rank to say the least, but they taught me to ride and I would not change a minute of those early training sessions. I suffered a bit of a setback when my first pony had to be euthanized after breaking his leg over a jump. Back then in and outs were set at one length, there were no such things correct distances for ponies vs. horses. And of course the jumps were on an “outside course” meaning they were replicas of what you would find on a hunt field and therefore they were solid and unyielding. I am thankful that safety measures have been implemented since then.
What really hooked you on pursuing your equestrian interests?
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Dana and her Connemara ex-stallion
Sprout share a special moment. |
I love the trust and connection you make with the animal (the AHA moments), they have so much to teach us. When I consider some of the early training techniques, they seem so barbaric now. Times were different then, the needs of the animal were not considered in the least. They were just to “do”. I am thankful that so many of my early instructors (Barbara Buccino, Phil DeVita, Vaughn Wilson, my mom (Ruth Henry)) had the conviction to be stringent in their teaching. It was their progressive teaching that instilled the compassionate work ethic in me. I hope I have done an adequate job of passing this along to my daughters (Deanna and Renee) and students.
What motivated you to open/start your arena, farm, shows?
I inherited this trait from my mom. She taught lessons when I was growing up and I did some outside training, so it was a natural progression to continue this as an adult and pass the family business on to my daughters. Currently Deanna trains some of the fanciest ponies born in Florida on their way to find their new show homes all over the country, and Renee still shows her young TB mare that she started from scratch. Family friends had land in our hometown of Bushnell, FL and they decided to run a few horse shows. I assisted them in that endeavor and today they have a very successful show facility run by their daughter. Running horse shows can be very rewarding. I have been on both sides of the show ring fence, so I took all of my experiences (good and bad) and put them to work for me. I am so fortunate to have my family’s support with the shows. Mom helps out with the logistics and Deanna drives up from Florida to run the gate.
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Dana aboard her daughter Deanna's
Thoroughbred mare Illusions |
Give us a little history of your farm. Why did you settle in Gainesboro?
My grandfather was one of the original settlers of Crossville, so when my father retired, my parents found the farm in Gainesboro and moved there to be closer to his family. After graduating from Saint Leo University in 2007, my husband of almost 30 years and I sold our house in Florida and joined them. We currently share 137 acres (of mostly mountains) with my parents. It has been quite an adjustment, weather wise. We currently have six horses/ponies. My TB mare and her full sister, a retired QH who suffers from EPM, a 26 year old Connemara ex-stallion (I gelded him at the ripe old age of 23 just before we moved here), his 5 year old Connemara/Welsh son, and a 40 something year old small welsh that was Deanna’s first show pony. Gonzo (Farnley Groat) rules the roost and will probably out live us all.
What is your philosophy of horsewomanship?
I believe in respect… to people, to horses. It has always been disturbing to me when I see “natural horsemanship” type of hoopla. I don’t care who is teaching you, short of God himself, no one can teach you common horse sense if you don’t have any, especially in a finite number of training minutes. Thanks to the Internet, many unflattering episodes of teaching “natural horsemanship” have been viewed. I get so angry that I cannot watch. We all have something to learn and if indeed you do feel like you know it all, well just spend a few minutes with the awesome animal called horse and be humbled. They forgive much more than we deserve.
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40 YO Gonzo and Sprout! |
What is your favorite breed?
I would have to say that the Connemara is my favorite breed. My first pony was a Connemara and I was so impressed with the breed that my mom and I decided to raise some of our own. We bought our stallion (Cannon Point Mystic Leprechaun – Sprout) when he was six months old (I was pregnant with Deanna at the time. Our goal was to raise show ponies – so you see Deanna’s fate as a pony jock was sealed before she was born). We travelled to St. Simons Island, Georgia (Linda Linton’s farm) where we found just what we wanted. He is a WONDERFUL pony!
What needs to change about horse showing today?
The politics stink. Horse shows are expensive and they should be FUN. If they are not fun, then why spend the money? Obviously everyone has a different idea of fun, and not every horse show day can be the BEST one, but come on, it should in no way be about who your trainer is or how much you paid for your horse or clothes.
Why do you believe in the Hunter Derby?
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Daughter Deanna aboard Sprout |
I think it is an awesome idea! I have always been an advocate of giving the horses variety to reduce boredom. We have always participated in small hunter paces and the Derby brings an element of this into the show ring. The Derby actually rewards those riders who RIDE rather than count to five or six or whatever strides and bend over. Those who successfully take more daring approaches should be rewarded!
Why did you chose Clearview Horse Farm Arena in Shelbyville, TN to hold your shows?
Clearview is the best kept secret in the horse world in Middle Tennessee! (Horse Lover has heard countless others sing the praises of the facility and family friendly atmosphere of Clearview.)
What are the best things you see in today's horse world?
Today we have much more compassion than we did in the past; we consider the animal in the end goal. Horses allow us to be competitive while teaching us at the same time. Horses give us the opportunity to experience elation, accomplishment, pride, responsibility, discipline, empathy, humility and sometimes heartbreak. They inspire us to make some tough decisions. Without horses I always wondered what “neighborhood” kids did with their time?
Where do you go from here?
Wherever the road leads I guess. I have been doing more riding of my own horse lately and hope to do a few schooling shows this fall. I have one horse that I ride for one of mom’s students. My show dates are set for 2011 and then we’ll see. One of Dana's horse friends who lives in Florida, Isabelle Carlile, said during a brief interview with Horse Lover staff that Dana's best qualities are that she is very determined and very knowledgeable about horses. Ms. Carlile added that Dana is very good working with all age groups and this is another quality that makes her successful! Wherever Dana goes, it will be positive and successful!
Monday, August 09, 2010 at 18:30 | 
Written by Marla Smith | 
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